Status: Phase One Completed (2014), Phase Two Completed (2018)
Location: Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico
Program: Brewing Facility, Tap Room, Rooftop Beer Garden, Retail
Construction Type: Type 1A
Number of Floors: 3 Stories
Size: 6,500 SF
Delivery Method: Design–Bid–Build
Construction Materials: Poured in place concrete, Steel
Client: Cervecería Insurgente
Construction Cost: Confidential
Recognition: 2023 AIA San Diego Honor Award – Tijuana Projects
Insurgente Brewery is a 6,500 square foot brewery, tasting room, kitchen, and rooftop beer garden located in Zona Río, Tijuana’s cultural and economic center. Designed for Cervecería Insurgente, one of Mexico’s most influential craft breweries, the project was built in two phases: the first completing the brewery’s shell and brewing operations, and the second adding the public-facing tasting room, retail, and rooftop components.
As Tijuana’s craft beer culture has grown into a symbol of regional creativity and cultural diversity, this facility has become a landmark destination—helping elevate Baja California’s culinary identity and reinforcing the city’s emergence as a cross-border cultural and economic hub.
The design concept puts the beer-making process on display, creating a fully immersive visitor experience across three levels. Visitors engage with brewing operations through exposed glycol tubes at the entry, mezzanine seating that overlooks brewers at work, and rooftop skylights that double as tabletops, offering views into the facility below. A 360-degree rooftop view of the Tijuana skyline connects the building to the city’s rapidly evolving urban fabric.
The building’s sustainability strategy uses passive design and thermal mass to reduce energy consumption:
Stainless steel framing and poured in place concrete construction provides natural insulation, especially for the cold room.
Energy modeling during design informed the strategic placement of high-load equipment like fermentation tanks and cooling systems.
An exterior perforated metal stair shields glazing from solar gain, reducing interior heat buildup.
Natural ventilation and roof-mounted exhaust fans passively cool occupied spaces—avoiding the use of mechanical HVAC except for the cold room.
Beyond brewing, Insurgente Brewery has become a gathering place—hosting public events, music performances, and guided tours that contribute to a broader cultural dialogue in Tijuana. It reflects a new, forward-looking identity for the city: one rooted in craft, creativity, and positive urban transformation.
Construction and video timelapse by Diego Martínez Estens
Construcción y video por Diego Martínez Estens